The disco attracted hundreds of people every week and was known for playing the latest up-and-coming records before anywhere else in Dublin. The center was a headquarters for the NGF but also housed support services, a cinema, a café, and at the weekends a discotheque.
Named after Magnus Hirschfeld, a pioneering sexologist and advocate of gay rights in the early 20th century. In 1979 the National Gay Federation opened the Hirschfeld Centre in Dublin's Temple Bar. For the LGBTQ+ community, nightlife has served as a safe haven to escape societal persecution and gay bars and nightclubs have been the building blocks for acceptance in the community. Iconic gay nightclubs like The George and clubnights like Mother (pre-COVID) were regularly packed to the sweaty rafters and events like Drag Brunches book out on a regular basis.īut for a long time nightlife culture was far more than a way to let your hair down. In recent years queer nightlife has been having quite the moment.
In today's episode, we're learning about LGBTQ+ nightlife in Ireland. In Queer History Lessons, comedian Shane Daniel Byrne is teaching us all about LGBTQ+ history, from flags to voguing and everything in between.
